Monday, September 03, 2007

music from 700 feet above civilization

The four tracks from The Future According To Yesterday EP by Redhooker are sequenced together like a concept album; or better yet, they are composed together to create a four-movement piece. Before I start to discuss the EP in details, you should be familiarized with the creative process of the album. According to Stephen Griesgraber, the mastermind behind Redhooker, the EP was “written in a vacated accident-injury law office 700 feet above ground in downtown Manhattan... The music was inspired by a year spent living in a quiet, isolated former port village called Red Hook.” The first track (movement), "Sometimes She Speaks Gently", essentially represents the start of composing the EP in a vacated office high above civilization or the start of living in the lonesome village of Red Hook. In both instances, the haunting instrumentations create a segregated and estranged mood. In contrast, the cheerful melodies of "Animus" provide a comforting sensation to the second movement. Perhaps this movement shows that Griesgraber is used to the fact that he is isolated in both cases and therefore, making the most out of the experiences. Then, the atmosphere suddenly switches to a sort of desperation in "Sunday Silence". In particular, at the 4:35 mark of this third movement, there is an overwhelming and uncomfortable sense of panic and anxiety that last for about 30 seconds. It is possible that this feeling may be coming from Griesgraber’s desire to leave both locations as he has in a way, been separated from reality for too long. Finally, Griesgraber breaks out of both isolations in "Twelve Times Goodbye" as the calming melodies, especially the clarinet, suggests a sense of ease, relieve, and peace. The majority of The Future According To Yesterday EP is rather haunting to symbolize alienation; nevertheless, the movements are stimulating, and principle instruments such as the violin and the rhodes interplay wonderfully with one another.

Sunday Silence[wicked-cool song]***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit